This invention relates to a beam combining unit, and also to a laser system in which the beams from a plurality of lasers are combined.
There is an increasing requirement for material processing operations using laser beams to be carried out at high average powers. For example, in the case of solid-state lasers, there is a growing requirement for average powers in excess of 1 kW. One approach to producing such high average powers is to produce a laser of the required capability. Another approach is to combine the outputs of a number of smaller lasers to provide the same level of average power. Many applications require the laser beam to be delivered to the workpiece by means of a fibre optic delivery system and so it is desirable to combine laser beams in a manner which permits them to be transmitted by such a delivery system.